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Information for Prospective Visiting Faculty, Exchange Ph.D. Students, and Advanced Ph.D. Students

Department of Political Science
University of Washington

The Department of Political Science welcomes different categories of visitors: faculty at other institutions of higher education, graduate students seeking to take courses, and advanced PhD students seeking research visits. The specifics of the arrangements for visitors depend on the status that one seeks:

  • Visiting scholar status for faculty at other institutions with PhDs who seek to conduct research and collaborate with one or more faculty members in our department;
  • Visiting Graduate Student Status for students who desire to take graduate coursework in our department. Applicants must be enrolled in a partner university with the University of Washington and be nominated by their home institution for the exchange.
  • Visiting graduate student researcher status for graduate students who desire to conduct PhD research in collaboration with a faculty member but will not enroll in coursework.

Selection for each of these categories entails submission of application materials and our determination of the appropriateness of the relevant visiting status. Prospective visitors are asked to read the following information carefully and consult both the links that are provided here and the departmental website for faculty and research center profiles.

Visiting Scholars

We limit participation to no more than three visiting scholars per academic year. Visiting scholars must hold a professorial title at another institution and normally will have a PhD as their terminal degree. In selecting these each year, we look for a good fit between the research interests of the prospective visitor and those of a set of faculty and/or one of our research centers. Prospective visitors should contact potential faculty sponsors at least nine months in advance of the planned visit and provide a CV, a research statement for the planned visit, and information about the timing of the visit. Questions about visiting faculty scholar status can be directed to the Department Chair.

The appointment specifics for visiting scholars differ depending on whether one is an United States legal resident or not. The latter requires a J-1 visa application, documentation of minimum financial resources, and other steps if there will be accompanying family members. Details about the J-1 Visa process for the UW can be found at https://ap.washington.edu/iso/jfirst.html. Visiting scholars are responsible for the costs of visa and related processing fees.

We normally accept visiting scholars for a maximum of one calendar year with a preference for stays of an academic year of less. Visiting scholars have access to UW libraries and computing facilities. They are asked to participate in the intellectual life of the department by meeting with graduate students and giving talks about their research as part of one of our research centers or faculty clusters. We are unable to provide office space or computer equipment.

Visiting Graduate Students

This status is for graduate students who desire to take graduate coursework in our department. We normally enroll three or four such students each year, from one to three quarters at a time. Applicants must be enrolled in a partner university with the University of Washington and be nominated by their home institution for the exchange.

Applicants must apply: (1) for admissions under the International Program and Exchange Program. See: http://www.washington.edu/studyabroad/visitingexchange/.Home

Please go to “Visitor Exchange Students” and then click on “Graduate Applications.” Check the application deadlines. You may also check this website for a list of additional fees such as health insurance, bus pass and orientation fees.

(2) and then apply for admissions to our graduate program and the UW Graduate School for study any quarter during the following academic year. Details about Visiting Student Status can be found here: https://www.grad.washington.edu/admission/understanding-the-application-process/visiting-graduate-students/

Visiting Graduate Students have full privileges of regular graduate students. They can enroll in UW graduate courses and have library and computing access. They also have access to other UW facilities. We do not provide office space or computer equipment for visiting exchange students.

Visiting Graduate Student Researchers

This status is for graduate students who desire to conduct PhD research in collaboration with a faculty member but will not enroll in coursework. These typically consist of short-term visits to our department of a few days to a few weeks on an informal basis. Prospective visitors should contact potential faculty sponsors at least three months in advance of the planned visit with information about research interests, how these fit those of the faculty member or research group, a current CV, and the timing of any such visit. We only will accept individuals for such visits who can contribute to our graduate program. Such individuals will be expected to give a talk about their research and to meet with other graduate students. International visitors are responsible for appropriate visa arrangements for which the UW and the department cannot provide assistance or invitational letters. Visiting graduate student researches will not be granted library or other university privileges.

More formal graduate student research visits can be arranged for up to one academic year duration for international students under the U.S. Visiting International Student Internship and Training Program (VISIT). This program permits students pursuing degrees at foreign universities to participate in full-time supervised research at the University of Washington. Applicants may request a maximum stay of up to twelve months for each degree level. Students seeking this status should contact a potential faculty supervisor at least nine months in advance of the start of the planned visit with information about research interests, how these fit those of the faculty member or research group, a current CV, and the timing of any such visit. Those who participate in this program cannot enroll in graduate courses. Those participating in this program will be given library and computing access, though we cannot provide office space or computing equipment. Participants are responsible for the costs of visa and related processing fees. For more details see http://elp.washington.edu/elp/programs/2318/default.asp. Go to International and English Language Programs. Under "programs" select "Visiting International Student Internship and Training." 

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